A400 Xcel

A400 Xcel: the Fastest, Lowest-Recoil Clay Buster

The A400 Xcel is a 12-gauge competition shotgun that is faster-cycling, softer-shooting and better balanced than anything else on the market.

Built on the revolutionary A400 action, it delivers follow-up shots 36% faster than any other brand, while its advanced recoil-reducing systems make it absolutely pleasant to shoot, even on demanding all-day competitions. Its sleek lines and superior ergonomics are designed with one goal in mind: letting the A400 naturally follow your eye to the target. This is why it has quickly become a favorite among serious competitive shooters the world over.

Built on Today’s Most Advanced Semi-Automatic Action

The A400 action is the culmination of Beretta’s centuries-old experience and passion for shotguns. It feeds reliably all types of shells from 2 ¾” to 3,” with loads ranging from target-light to hard hitting--making it also suited for the occasional upland or waterfowl hunt. Also, it features the unique Blink technology, a gas-operating system that is capable of delivering two shots in less than half a second, while also integrating an easy-maintenance self-cleaning piston. Furthermore, the action has sleek lines and a low profile, meaning that the vertical distance between the dominant eye and the supporting hand is reduced to a minimum. The result? A gun that follows your swing like an extension of your body and eyesight--and many more broken clays.

Extremely Low-Recoil

There are no two ways about it: felt recoil is only a liability and the less of it, the better. The A400 Xcel incorporates several recoil-reducing systems operating simultaneously to make recoil virtually negligible (70% overall reduction). One is a hydraulic shock absorber that softens the rearward energy from the action’s moving parts, which minimizes felt recoil while reducing wear within the receiver. Another is a Micro-Core buttpad that all but neutralizes the recoil generated by the power of the cartridge. Also, the A400 is designed to recoil parallel to the comb, meaning no thump to the cheek and minimal muzzle rise.

Durable, Easy and Quick to Clean

The A400 Xcel's cold-hammer forged barrel is made of nickel-chromium-molybdenum steel (Beretta’s “Steelium”), a proprietary formula engineered for consistency, toughness and durability. The bore is chrome-plated to facilitate cleaning and minimize wear and corrosion. And the new Optimabore HP choke tubes are particularly easy to remove--even after several thousands of rounds. Lastly, the new, improved gas piston makes assembly and disassembly a matter of seconds. All these are reasons why when your competitors see you approaching with the A400 Xcel’s telltale bright-blue receiver, they will know you have the absolute best--and they will know who the winner is.

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1. Balance Cap

You see it fly, you break it: this is the ideal mindset of a sporting-clay shooter. But for this to be the case, the shotgun must balance perfectly--which means it must do so for you and your body type. This is why Beretta has added the balance cap as a standard feature: three interchangeable weights allow shooters to achieve that perfect point where the shotgun becomes an extension of their body. And an anodized finish on the balance cap protects the system from the elements allowing the shooter to compete anytime, anywhere.

2. Blue Receiver

Blue is not only the traditional color of the Beretta brand. On this shotgun, it also serves as a warning flag to your competitors: here comes the best-designed clay-busting semiauto on the market along with a shooter who was discriminating (and ambitious) enough to choose it. Giving the shotgun a cool, updated look, the blue receiver will never leave your friends wondering what type of gun you're shooting.

3. Cold Hammer Forged Barrel

No matter how great a shotgun's action and how impeccable the balance, the shot must first travel through the barrel in order to make it to the target. So, the more perfect the geometry of the tube, the more consistent and predictable the shot pattern. Beretta's cold-hammer forged barrels are designed and painstakingly manufactured to offer this kind of precision, as well as the durability to match.

4. Gun Pod

The Gun Pod is a digital display designed for the real "powder-head" who wants to keep track of everything on the range. This revolutionary system provides a digital readout of the ambient air temperature, the cartridge pressure of the round fired and the overall number of shells fired through the shotgun. This enables you to further enhance your training routine, as well as get to know your shotgun better.

5. High Speed Mechanics

The A400 Xcel features the unique Blink technology, a gas-operating system that is capable of delivering two shots in less than half a second, while also integrating an easy-maintenance self-cleaning piston. This means that you'll already be reloading while your friends watch that second clay fly farther and farther away from them.

6. Micro Core

The Micro Core buttpad is designed to do two primary things. First, to reduce recoil as much as possible, so that even a long session at the range will not tire you and leave you sore. Secondly, and thanks to the type of polymer of which it is constructed, it is engineered to flow smoothly to your shoulder without snagging or catching as many rubber buttpads do.

7. Optima Bore HP

Optima-Bore HP choke geometry was conceived to offer the best ballistic performance available, with steel or lead shot. Thanks to its design, shot pattern remains perfectly uniform whatever the shell size or load, giving you consistency and accuracy on the hunt. Optima-Bore HP choke tubes further enhance the effect.

8. Steel Performance

Whether you use steel or lead shot, the Steel Performance feature on this shotgun ensure minimum-to-none shot deformation. This is because the elongated forcing cone (together with the OptimaBore/Choke system) gently funnel the shot rather than abruptly forcing it into a narrower cylinder.